Read Time: 11 Minute

I work a lot—15-hour days, seven days a week. It’s part of the job. There’s no substitute for hard work.

Craig Parry, CEO Vizsla Copper (TSX-V: VCU)

Early Life

Parry’s formative years, spent in a town of just 6,000 people, laid the groundwork for a journey that would take him across continents and eventually lead him to helm one of Canada’s emerging copper companies. 

Born in 1973, Parry’s family roots were firmly planted in hard, manual labor. His father was a sheep shearer, while his grandfather worked as an artisanal tin miner. As Parry recalls, “there was always a sense of resilience in the family—an unspoken understanding that hard work was not just a means to an end, but the only way forward”. It was a rough life, and Parry quickly realized that the path laid out before him—one rooted in farming and small-town living—was not where his ambitions lay.

Reflecting on his early years, Parry paints a vivid picture of life in a small town, filled with manual labor, long days in sheep sheds, and a future that seemed predictable. But Parry wasn’t content with the life laid out before him. He had bigger plans and bigger visions than could be contained or executed on in that town, Parry explained.

“My parents didn’t have the wherewithal to send me to university, but I found a way. That way was the Australian government’s Ready Reserve Scheme, which allowed him to spend a year in the military in exchange for university funding”, he adds.

The military taught Parry discipline, a sense of structure, and how to push himself beyond what he thought was possible. These lessons would prove crucial as he later ventured into the volatile world of mining exploration.

Craig’s Entry to the Mining Space

After a brief foray into finance, Parry found himself drawn to the resources sector, seeking a way to combine his entrepreneurial spirit with his passion for markets and business. It was a serendipitous suggestion from his father, who recommended Parry head to Kalgoorlie, a mining town in Western Australia, that set him on his path. He initially went to Kalgoorlie to save money, working as a field assistant and gaining firsthand experience in exploration.

Kalgoorlie, known for its rich gold deposits and tough working environment, was a proving ground for Parry. It was here that he first tasted the thrill of exploration—the chase for hidden treasures in the ground. “I fell in love with exploration, the great treasure hunt”, Parry recalls with a grin. “Once you’ve been bitten by that bug, it’s hard to let it go”. This marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for discovery.

Parry eventually returned to university to study geology, specializing in hard rock and economic geology—a field that he remains deeply invested in to this day. Despite the downturn in the mining sector in the late 1990s, Parry managed to secure a coveted position with Rio Tinto, one of the largest mining companies in the world, where he would spend the next eight years honing his craft.

The Rio Tinto Years: Cutting Teeth in the Big Leagues

Working for a global powerhouse like Rio Tinto was a transformative experience for Parry. During his eight-year tenure with the company, he was sent to different corners of the world, gaining exposure to various geological formations and commodities. From diamonds in the Kimberley to porphyry copper in Chile, Parry soaked up knowledge from some of the best geologists in the world. It wasn’t just the technical aspects that he learned, but also the importance of scale, risk assessment, and how to evaluate the true potential of a project.

It was during his time at Rio Tinto that Parry first encountered what he calls the size of the prize philosophy. Developed by one of his mentors at the company, this framework became a cornerstone of Parry’s approach to evaluating projects.

The philosophy asks three critical questions;

• what’s the size of the prize,

• what’s the cost of the test, and

• what’s the chance of success.

These three questions have become Parry’s mantra, not just in his work with Rio Tinto, but in all his subsequent ventures. It’s a disciplined approach to the high-risk, high-reward world of mineral exploration, where success is often elusive. I’ve kissed a lot of frogs, Parry says, referring to projects that didn’t pan out. But you’ve got to drill and kill projects quickly. If it doesn’t meet those criteria—size of the prize, cost of the test, and chance of success—you move on.

This pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to exploration is one that Parry continues to live by, particularly now at the helm of Vizsla Copper.

The Entrepreneurial Leap From Corporate to Startup

Parry’s departure from Rio Tinto wasn’t an easy decision, but it was one he felt compelled to make. Despite the company’s resources and reputation, Parry began to feel constrained by the bureaucracy. It was time to test his entrepreneurial chops. 

He co-founded Tigers Realm Group and NexGen Energy, two ventures that would give him a taste of both success and setbacks. While NexGen, a uranium company, went on to become a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, Tigers Realm, a coal project in Far Eastern Russia, proved to be far more challenging. The latter’s difficulties were compounded by geopolitical tensions, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, an event that sent shockwaves through global markets and brought severe challenges to anyone doing business in Russia.

It was a tough time, Parry admits. We were trying to raise capital for a project in a region that had suddenly become a political hotbed. That led to many sleepless nights.

Despite these challenges, Parry remained undeterred. He had seen enough success to know that setbacks were part of the game. If anything, the experience taught him resilience—a trait that would serve him well in the notoriously volatile mining sector.

Vizsla Copper Building the Future Amid Market Uncertainty

Today, Parry is fully focused on Vizsla Copper, a company that he believes is sitting on a significant discovery. Vizsla’s copper-gold projects in Canada hold nearly 4 billion pounds of contained copper and nearly 2 million ounces of gold. Yet, like many juniors in today’s market, the company’s valuation doesn’t reflect the scale of its assets. “Vizsla Copper is sitting on a princely sum of resources, but the market cap is absurdly low”, Parry states bluntly.

“The markets are broken for juniors right now. We’ve got record prices for gold, strong prices for copper, and yet access to capital is a nightmare. Investors are still skittish”.

Parry’s frustration is palpable. He sees a disconnect between the rising demand for metals—particularly copper, which is critical for the global shift towards electrification—and the lack of investment flowing into junior explorers like Vizsla Copper. “The world is going to need an unprecedented amount of copper over the next decade, and we’re not seeing enough commitment from governments or investors to get these projects off the ground”, Parry warns. He predicts that copper prices will soar to $30 per pound, driven by supply shortages and increased demand from renewable energy technologies.

Permitting, too, is a significant concern for Parry. He’s witnessed firsthand how regulatory hurdles have become more cumbersome over the years, making it increasingly difficult to bring new projects online. “There’s a lot of talk about the need for critical metals, but very little action in terms of streamlining the process for mining companies”, Parry says.

Despite these challenges, Parry remains optimistic about the long-term future of the industry. He firmly believes that the next decade will see a boom in resource development, driven by the global push for electrification and the transition to renewable energy. For Vizsla Copper, the next few years will be critical as the company works to advance its projects and attract the necessary capital to keep drilling.

Balancing Act Life as a CEO and Entrepreneur

Managing a portfolio of companies isn’t easy, and Parry is acutely aware of the challenges that come with wearing multiple hats. He’s often asked how he balances his time between his various ventures, and the answer, he admits, is hard work.

“I work a lot—15-hour days, seven days a week. It’s part of the job. There’s no substitute for hard work”.

That kind of relentless drive has come at a personal cost. Parry is candid about the toll his career has taken on his personal life, including the end of his marriage. “You can’t work those kinds of hours and not have it affect your personal relationships”, he says. “But at the same time, I love what I do, and I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best people in the industry”.

Parry has learned to delegate more as he’s advanced in his career, surrounding himself with a trusted team of experts who can help shoulder the load. He acknowledges that managing multiple projects and investments requires strong leadership and an ability to make quick decisions.

But even as he scales back, Parry’s passion for exploration remains undiminished. “It’s the thrill of discovery that keeps me going”, he says. “There’s nothing like pulling out a drill core that shows you’ve hit something big. It’s that moment that makes all the hard work worth it”.

Looking to the Future A Booming Decade Ahead

As Parry reflects on the past, he’s quick to shift the conversation towards the future. He’s bullish on the next decade for mining, particularly in copper and silver, and believes that Vizsla Copper is well-positioned to capitalize on the coming surge in demand for critical metals.

“The next decade is going to be one of the most exciting periods in the history of the mining sector”, Parry says. “The world is going to need massive amounts of copper for electrification, renewable energy, and infrastructure. We’re at the forefront of that, and I think Vizsla Copper has a bright future ahead”.

Despite the challenges, Parry’s optimism is infectious. He’s seen the industry go through cycles of boom and bust, and he’s confident that the best days are still ahead. “The markets are tough right now, but that’s the nature of the game. You’ve got to stay focused, keep your eye on the prize, and be ready to move when the time is right”.

For Parry, the future is all about staying the course and continuing to build on the foundation he’s laid over the past two decades.

“The next 10 years are going to be game-changing for the industry, and we’re ready to be a part of that change”.

As the interview concludes, one thing is clear Craig Parry is not just a CEO—he’s a miner at heart, driven by the thrill of discovery and the belief that the next great find is just around the corner. And for Vizsla Copper, that next discovery could very well be what cements its place in the annals of mining history.

Craig Parry Interview

This is a very brief summary of what was a lengthy interview. Don’t rely on this summary. Watch the full interview which is linked above.

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